Rare Pair Exchange

HELPFUL LINKS: | Tagset. | AO3 app | Exchange rules.

• Make sure to check what's available to request and offer in the tagset.


• Use the handy AO3 app to check requests to make sure you have something to offer. (We recommend checking the date and time for when the exchange was last re-scraped before using the app to finalise your requests and offers.)

• This is a great time to make sure you're matchable! The easiest way to do this is to check both the Sign-Up Summary and the Request Summary at the AO3 collection to see what others are requesting and offering. (Offers are visible via the Sign-up Summary.)


• If you have a half finished sign-up, please make sure that you complete it before sign-ups close because you will not be able to edit! We will not be accepting requests to edit sign-ups once they close. This also includes adding any 'Dear Creator' letter links. Please make sure your sign-up includes everything, especially your do not wants. We will only be abiding by the do not wants in your sign-up (not your letter) in the instance of a violation, so please double-check that these are included and clear.


• If you have written a Dear Creator letter, please make sure it is unlocked by the time assignments go out so your creator has more information to go off of when creating your fanwork. Creators will be free to use the information in your sign-up if your letter is not available for them to use.


• While you can repeat fandoms in your sign-up, you must have three unique fandom requests and offers. We are counting 'Original Work' as one fandom as it is considered an individual fandom in the tagset.


• Please ensure you have selected one fandom per request and offer slot. We have clarified an error on our end that has allowed participants to select more than one fandom. We will be deleting the individual requests and offers that have more than one fandom in one slot without warning once sign-ups close.
  
  We have checked requests and offers since sign-ups have been live and have contacted participants who are requesting and offering multiple fandoms per slot. At the time of our clarification announcement, we added this note to our sign-up form instructions for both requests and offers, so all participants have been informed about this hiccup on both the Dreamwidth community (our main form of communication) and the AO3 collection for the duration of sign-ups. We will not be contacting participants once sign-ups close to amend their sign-up, so please double-check that you are following the rules of the exchange.


• We will be accepting do not match requests up until sign-ups close, so if you do not wish to be matched to a participant, please email us. Check out the sign-ups announcement for details on do not match requests.

• You can request a minimum of 3 unique fandoms with a maximum of 10 fandoms, with 1-10 ships and a choice of fiction, art, or both.
  
  [ Edit 25-May ] Please only request one fandom per request. We cannot go in and limit the number of fandoms you can request due to there being a number of sign-ups, so please ensure you select one fandom per request. Please see this post for more details.


• There is a known bug with AO3 where the ship may be in the tagset but might not appear in the drop-down option. If that is the case, copy the ship from the tagset, paste it into the box (press enter afterwards), and AO3 should accept it.


• You can edit/delete your sign-up until the sign-up period closes. We will not be editing sign-ups when the sign-up period closes, so please make sure your sign-up contains the fandoms/ships you want and all the information your creator will need to create you a fanwork!


• If a sign-up does not include the required number of fandoms, it will be deleted when sign-ups close.


• Optional details can be added in the box provided. We encourage you to list your likes and do not wants and put prompts for your creator. This will give your creator a better picture of what you would/wouldn't enjoy.
  
  We strongly advise against using this as an opportunity to box your creator into making a specific type of work. (You risk having your sign-up deleted if you do this.)


• If you're requesting more than one ship, please do not express preferences for one fandom/ship over the rest in your optional details and/or letter. Your creator will be matching to any of the fandoms you select, so please make sure you request fandoms and ships you'd be happy to receive a fanwork for!


• Please make sure you list your do not wants clearly. We will not be upholding do not wants in the instance where one is violated if the do not wants are not clearly stated and are unreasonable. Do not wants in letters will not be upheld if there is a violation in the fanwork you receive.
  
  "Do not wants" are tropes, subjects, plots, etc. that you do not want to have incorporated into your gift because it would ruin your enjoyment of the work.
  
  Please avoid using defamatory language when expressing your dislikes and dealbreakers. What you dislike may be something someone else likes.


• If you're open to treats, please make a mention of this in the optional details of your sign-up. You're welcome to request only art and opt into fic treats and visa versa (as well as opt into both). You are also welcome to opt out of treats. Please remember stating you're open to treats does not guarantee you a treat.


• We also encourage you to write a letter to your creator if you wish to expand on your likes and prompts. This is optional and not at all mandatory. If you choose to create a letter, it must be completed by the time sign-ups close so you can to give your creator the maximum amount of time to work on your gift.


• All fandoms and ships requested and offered in this exchange must be chosen from the approved 2023 tagset. View the tagset here.


• You will match based on one fandom, ship, and medium.


• If there aren't any offers that match your requests, you will go out for claiming as an initial pinch hit.


• Pinch hits will be posted after assignments are sent out.

• You must offer a minimum of 3 unique fandoms with at least 1 ship. You can offer a maximum of 10 offers and 10 ships per offer
  
  [ Edit 26-May ] Please only offer one fandom per request. We cannot go in and limit the number of fandoms you can offer due to there being a number of sign-ups, so please ensure you select one fandom per request. Please see this post for more details.


• You can offer a choice of art, fic, or both.


• You will be matched on one fandom, ship, and medium, so please review the requests carefully.


• If for some reason that you are not matched to what you offer, please contact the mods immediately. The only time we will change your assignment after they've been sent out is if this occurs.


• You cannot swap assignments, so please ensure that you are offering what you are eager to create.


• Once sign-ups close, if there aren't any requests that match your offers, the mods will contact you at the email address associated with your AO3 account to see if there is anything else you can offer. If you do not reply within 24 hours, or there is nothing else you can offer, your sign-up will be deleted. Please check your email's junk/spam folders!

• We accept do not match requests for this exchange and will be accepting them from now until sign-ups close.


• If you wish to not match to a participant, please email [email protected] letting us know your AO3 name, the AO3 name of the participant you would like to not be matched to, and what you would like us to do in the instance where you are their only match as a creator, you are their only match as a recipient, and you are a pinch hit. We don't need to know the reasons for this request. We'll do our best to uphold your request.


• Please do not use this as an opportunity to try and match to a specific creator.

• Please be aware that if you sign up for this exchange, commenting on the fanwork you receive is mandatory for you to be able to participate in the next round.